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Lingo Lingo music video taken down

ENTOURAGE: In this screengrab from the Lingo Lingo music video, Tosh Zhang (third from right) and his entourage hang out by a private jet in a private hangar.PHOTO: JTEAM PRODUCTION

UNREALISTIC: Besides a private jet, the music video also featured scantily-clad girls and supercars such as Lamborghinis and Ferraris, prompting negative comments from some online viewers.PHOTO: JTEAM PRODUCTION

UNREALISTIC: Besides a private jet, the music video also featured scantily-clad girls and supercars such as Lamborghinis and Ferraris, prompting negative comments from some online viewers.PHOTO: JTEAM PRODUCTION

UNREALISTIC: Besides a private jet, the music video also featured scantily-clad girls and supercars such as Lamborghinis and Ferraris, prompting negative comments from some online viewers.PHOTO: JTEAM PRODUCTION

Director told to take down music video for the song Lingo Lingo due to negative comments

A music video has received flak online for being out of touch with regular Singaporeans, by portraying Singlish in the context of supercars and a private jet. It has now been made private.

The MV, Lingo Lingo, which stars popular Ah Boys to Men actor Tosh Zhang and singer-actor Bunz, was made by J Team Productions to promote a local one-hour SG50 featurette Lingo Lingo Where You Go, a short film celebrating Singlish.

J Team received money from the Singapore Memory Project's irememberSG Fund to make the featurette.

The MV was uploaded onto YouTube on Aug 4 and has over 79,000 views so far.

Speaking to The New Paper, Lingo Lingo Where You Go director Shawn Tan, who also shot the MV, said: "I got a call from the irememberSG people asking me to take the video down as it has received some negative comments and they were scared that it will affect the irememberSG branding."

"I told them it is not possible as the music video is owned by J Team Productions and not by them. The person-in-charge wanted the video to be off the viewers' eyes, so I told them I will make it private for now."

Tan, 27, changed the setting for the YouTube video to private yesterday.

Watch: Lingo Lingo

He explained that J Team, helmed by local director Jack Neo, received $50,000from the irememberSG Fund to produce the featurette.

The film, which cost close to $100,000 to make, tells the story of a man who wakes up from a 10-year coma to a world of unfamiliar Singlish terms and phrases.

To promote the film, Tan and his team came up with the idea of producing an MV under the J Team budget.

He said: "We created the music video out of our own pocket, so I find it very weird that the irememberSG people want us to take it down."

NEGATIVE COMMENTS

The music video features Zhang and Bunz as well as their entourage, flanked by a fleet of supercars and sexy girls in lingerie, rapping about Singlish.

In the past few days, as the music video gained traction, it has received its fair share of criticism for its portrayal of Singapore.

Netizens commented that the MV did not reflect Singaporeans' way of life as it promoted a super luxurious lifestyle with scenes of well-dressed young adults hanging out by a private jet in a private hangar, and in front of supercars like Lamborghinis and Ferraris. (See report on right.)

Tan said: "Actually, there are a lot of positive comments and only a small percentage of negative comments. I am not affected by the negative comments at all, because when people post bad comments, it is still publicity."

He added: "I was more affected when the people-in-charge asked me to take the video down."

At press time, the Singapore Memory Project was unable to respond to Mr Tan's claims.

SINGING OUT LOUD IN SINGLISH

Excerpts from the lyrics of the song Lingo Lingo:

"Steady Pom Pi Pi to that Eh Wah Eh Wah Eh Wah"

"Can you hear our echo, Louder than the Lambo, Represent who we are, close to my heart"